I've been home for two weeks. I'm avoiding Dairy Queens. My bicycle arrived at the bike shop yesterday
and is being overhauled In the interim, I'm riding my older Colnago. It's time to reflect on XC17.
From riding across the country in 2009 I knew what would
make this ride special would be the other riders. When you spend seven weeks as a group
pursuing a common goal, you bond in a unique way. It was fantastic that many of this year's
riders are veterans of my last cross country tour. Over the past eight years, we had often
proposed a repeat of LA to Boston but life somehow got in the way. Finally, I looked ahead and realized that I'm
not getting any younger (yes, I'm shocked, too) and it was time to act. I sent in my deposit to CrossRoads and sent
an email to the group that the ride was "on." Happily, a bunch of 09ers couldn't resist and
signed up to join me. Willie and Harry would
go "all the way;" Peter from LA to Santa Fe; and Tom, Darrell, Champ,
and Jack would join us in Champaign for the final push to Boston. That doesn't include cameo appearances by Al
and Chris during the ride and Karen, Ike, and Mike seeing us off in Manhattan
Beach. Although some of us had not seen
each other for eight years, we simply picked up where we had left off in '09!
CrossRoads normally has twenty some odd riders doing the
whole ride across the country with a dozen or so completing only part of the
route. This year was unusual in that we
had ten people signed up to ride all the way to Boston and twenty-two riding
shorter segments. There were also a
significant number of foreign riders, United Kingdom (6), Germany (3), and
Israel (1). It's hard to imagine a more
diverse bunch of bicycle riders.
I could write pages and pages about each of my
companions. XC09 was so wonderful, I was
afraid XC17 would pale in comparison; I should have known better. What a great group of people; a privilege to
know all of you.
This was supposed to be the "smell the roses"
tour, but somehow I couldn't reign in my need for speed. My competitive nature was dampened somewhat
by the presence of several Iron Men and Women.
Add to that the presence of Willie, Dan K, and Mike R who often raced me
into the hotel each day. We were
fortunate in the cool desert crossing, dry weather, and many tailwinds.
If you decide that you, too, want to ride your bicycle
across the United States, I offer the following suggestions and comments:
Go with Cross Roads Cycling Adventures! Tracy and her crew
will take care of you. They have years of experience, are highly organized and
efficient. All you have to do is ride your bicycle from hotel to hotel and CR
will take care of all the rest.
Don't take stuff you don't need. At a minimum, all you
really need, in addition to the stuff you will carry on your bicycle, is: bike
shorts (1), jersey (1), bike socks (2 pair), arm coolers, street shorts (1),
street shirt (1), windbreaker, sandals or Crocs, and a toothbrush. [You will
need a camelback or equivalent for the desert crossings - send it home after.]
Everything else is optional.
Wash your bicycle clothing in the motel sink each night.
Cross Roads provides detergent. After washing, roll the wet clothes in a towel
to pre-dry them, hang them up, and they will be dry in the morning.
Get trip insurance. Riding a bicycle is potentially
dangerous. You've paid a lot of money to take this trip. Get trip insurance.
Take a digital camera and get a "bento box" for
your bike. It's much easier to get to your camera when it's in the bento box. Take lots of photos of your fellow riders;
you will cherish those pictures much more than ones of the passing countryside.
Buy a good quality road bike from a professional bike shop.
Do not spend less than $2,000 for your bike.
Get a bike fit from a professional bike shop. Pay special
attention to the five points where you come in contact with your bike: bottom,
feet, and hands. Buy good quality shoes, padded shorts, and padded bike gloves.
Use tire liners like Mr. Tuffy’s; even Gatorskin tires won't
protect you from getting flats caused by wires on freeway shoulders. Trust me,
I know. In the desert, every time you
stop, check your tires for wires, glass, and cuts. Doing so might just save you from one or more
flats. Practice changing inner-tubes before
you start.
A bandana is handy. It keeps the sun off your neck and can
be moistened for cooling.
Instead of a "head sweat," bring a bicycle cap to
wear under your helmet. The visor helps keep the sun off your face and the rain
off your glasses.
Wireless internet connection is available at all hotels.
Start a blog and either use the hotels' terminals or bring a tablet, pad, or netbook
(they only weigh about two pounds). Send
me the URL to your blog.
Do EVERYTHING that Tracy tells you to do in her pre-ride
emails. After years and years of taking intrepid cyclists across the U.S., she
knows best. Do EVERYTHING she suggests you do. Trust me.
In preparation for the trip, LONG training rides are more
important than short ones. Yes, you need to be in shape, but the long rides
will tell you where you need to make changes in your shoes, gloves, shorts,
etc. You don't want to discover that your saddle isn't comfortable between Blythe
and Wickenburg! You will find out how to "go long." Oh, yes, wear
your camelback (full) on your long training rides. The better shape you are in when you leave
Los Angeles, the more fun you will have.
Chamois butter is not optional! Use it.
You, too, can ride your bike across the country! Just do it!
And, finally, support our troops. Make a donation to the
USO. I thank you.
